The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 15, 2025.MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're joined now by California Senator Alex Padilla.

A day after federal agents forcibly restrained and handcuffed U.S. Sen Alex Padilla at a Los Angeles news conference, leaders of the country’s two political parties responded in what has become a predictable fashion — with diametrically opposed takes on the incident.

The senator is known on Capitol Hill for being kind and nerdy. His forcible removal from a news conference resonated as a call to action among Democrats.

The senator pushed back on Trump administration claims he was trying to make a "viral moment," saying, "Nothing could be further from the truth"

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Sen. Alex Padilla of "lunging" at her, justifying officers forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him. It's part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to stoke fear to justify violence.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said Sunday that a member of the National Guard and an FBI agent escorted him into Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference last week before he was forcefully removed.

The handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) raises the stakes for future clashes between Democrats and the administration as acts of protest have been met with swift law enforcement action.

Now the senior U.S. senator from California, Alex Padilla’s career in public service started amid intense fervor over immigration in the early 1990s. Now, it comes full circle.